Heat Haze Days
by redeyesofhell
Summary: If only Tobirama hadn't have uttered those words or chased that damn cat, then Madara wouldn't be stuck watching his crush die over and over again no matter what he does.


Sorry, when I posted this, Ao3 was when I posted this originally so it was in the wrong format. If you want to see in Archive of our Own, then I'm Polarpunk there.

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"It's supposed to be a pretty day tomorrow, we should review these tomorrow at the park,' A sore Madara says stretching out aching muscles from leaning paperwork all day. He glances over to the younger man who was neatly packing their paperwork away.

"All right, as long as you do your work and not try to run off and hide amongst the children again," Tobirama replies.

"Who do you think I am? That idiot brother of yours?" Madara quips.

"Don't push your luck," Tobirama snaps, but with no malice in his words, "We'll meet at the park tomorrow at noon."

"Can't wait," Madara sarcastically says, but he turns around to hide a flushed hue to his pale skin. 'I can't believe he agreed! Now if I can get that paperwork away from him, than tomorrow should be perfect,' Madara thought, ignoring the villagers giving him a wide berth due to his unusually pleasant mood.

"Izuna, I'm home!" Madara calls as he kicks off his sandals.

"What day is it?" A groggy Madara rasps as he checks his phone. It read 'August 15' with the time at 12:00. "Ah, I'm going to be late!" Madara panics dressing quickly and yelling a goodbye to Izuna who was playing Sudoku in the newspaper.

"Good luck on your lunch date!" Izuna calls, as he mockingly salutes his flailing brother. "For a guy who claims to hate Senju, you sure seem fond of Tobirama!"

"Say that again and I'm going to throw you into the nearest shark pit," Madara yells back at his younger brother.

"What does Izuna know, anyway?!" Madara mutters, dodging civilians before finally jumping to tree-travel. "I mean come on, Tobirama of all people! That guy is so frustrating the only way to tolerate him is with someone else in the room! And speak of the devil, here's that arrogant, unhanded, nosy, attractive, and despicable Senju, in the flesh.

"You're late," Tobirama chastises from a picnic table. For once the jerk wasn't wearing armor, fur, or even black! He was wearing a light weight dark blue short-sleeved kimono top with a pair of white short pants. He was even wearing zōri, too!

At least Madara wasn't the only one dressed down. He was wearing a summertime lavender yukata with his own zōri. Glancing at his phone, Madara saw it was 12:28. "By only twenty-eight minutes," he complains to the smug Senju.

Though, now that he got closer Madara could see a reddish hue darken the other man's skin. The idiot had probably arrived early thinking Madara would do the same. He'd likely pass out if they continued at this table which was now directly in the sunlight. The other tables were already packed. Madara felt a little guilty.

Madara leans down then carefully reseals all the documents ignoring Tobirama's look of confusion. "Hn, everyone has already saw you claimed this table so let's move to the shade before your ugly mug looks even more lobster-like," Madara hastily adds before he grabs Tobirama and brings him to the only unoccupied semi-shady area-the swings.

"What time is it?" Tobirama asks, before he picks up one of the stray cats that roam through the parks.

Madara snorts and looks up before pulling his phone out again. "August 15 at 12:30, noon. With not a cloud in sight. It's a really pretty day to just chat, you know? The heat makes you feel pleasantly sleepy like a heat haze."

Stroking the cat, Tobirama says under his breath, "Yeah, but… I don't really like the summertime. I-" Right before he could finish, the white cat leaps from his arms and runs to traffic. Tobirama follows after the cat.

Madara curses Hashirama for deciding the leaf village needed automobiles and those words Tobirama said which seem to have made the heat more oppressive. "Tobirama!" Madara tries to dodge civilians though he desperately wishes he could just shove them without remembering Hashirama and Tobirama asking him not to.

Tobirama single-mindedly focuses on pursuing the cat. The heat making his normally quick reflexes and speed dulled down to a slow jog, it seemed. He didn't even notice the dirt turn into asphalt.

"Tobirama!" Madara yells making Tobirama forget momentarily about the cat whom had already crossed the road from the sheer desperation in his voice.

Just then all Tobirama could see was a bright flashing red.

Madara stares in horror, one minute he was talking to Tobirama then he-he. His thoughts get cut off by a scream that rips from his throat. His sharingan flicks on and spins wildly. Tobirama's blood splatters onto Madara's clothes and combined with the guts and singed hair make the Uchiha panic.

He tries to take a deep breath, but all that does is bring the scent of… death closer, and soon Madara rushes forward. Ignoring Tobirama's previous warning, he shoves people out of the way. Finally, Madara looks into Tobirama's blood stained face. His red eyes were still open, but glassy. "No it can't be true. This is a lie, the heat's just mocking me," Madara denies shaking his head as he cradles Tobirama's limp head.

Madara takes one more breath before he realizes that the world was spinning. 'Where were the medics?' Madara wonders.

Before Madara passes out, he sees something odd. A man who looks just like him only… off. This man had white hair like… Tobirama and in the centre of his forehead was his sharingan, but different.

"What you see us exactly what you're gonna get!" The man declares as he stares down Madara's falling form.

And Madara with crickets chirping and the blue sky shining down, he falls.

"Madara wake up! You're going to be late for your date with Tobirama!" Izuna yells through the rice paper door.

"Shut up Izuna! I swear I will throw you into the nearest koi pond!" Madara yells before Izuna's words hit him. "Don't joke about that! You know what happened to Tobirama!"

"Now you're getting defensive, how sweet. So when's the wedding?" Izuna laughs then he pauses, "Wait, what happened to Tobirama?"

'Could it be?' Madara thought, pulling out his phone. It read 'August 14th at noon'.

'Tobirama didn't die!' Madara exclaims happily. 'Thank goodness that stupidly attracti- wait what? Yeah, he is attractive, but he's also rude and pretty when he concentrates on his- gah! No Bad Madara!' Madara thought as he pulls out the first thing he sees-a nice lavender yukata with some zōri.

"Bye Izuna!" Madara calls as he puts on his zōri once outside.

"Don't you dare bring Tobirama back with you, or I'll hang you by your eyelids!" Izuna hollers.

"Izuna!" Madara says repulsed at the threat.

'You're late,' A familiar voice calls out making Madara's head snap up.

"You're alive!" Madara exclaims happily. 'Then… it was all a dream? Why would I dream something that messed up?'. All Madara could focus was Tobirama. His scowling face suddenly bloody, and a sound of crickets in the air with sun shining down.

Madara grabs Tobirama and pulls him to the swings. Strangely Tobirama allows himself to be pulled.

Tobirama suddenly asks, "What time is it?"

"August 14, 12 something" Madara replies not bothering to check his phone. "It's a beautiful day, I don't see a single cloud above."

"Yeah, I guess…" Tobirama hesitates, and he looks so much like the Tobirama in his dream that he couldn't help, but blurt out, "I had this weird dream last night," As he began to tell the story, Madara swears he saw a flash of fear in Tobirama's eyes. Making his paranoia expand.

"Oh, what happened?" Despite the polite question, Madara can see Tobirama's eyes shifting around as if searching for something. He was hiding something, and this dream seems to be at least similar.

"Ugh, it's nothing, but… I don't quite know what to say. Hey, something weird though is in the dream both you and I were sitting in the same old park we are sitting at now. I wonder why?" Madara stood, he was getting antsy, but before he could make one step forward, Tobirama grabbed his arm. His red eyes were hidden by his bangs, making him look solemn.

"I think the two of us should leave," Tobirama stated beginning to drag Madara away from the road.

His hands were clammy, Madara noted. All he could think about was how happy he was that the road was getting further away. That dream seems to prove just how stupid Hashirama's idea for expansion was. The endless roads, the ever expanding buildings. Though they expanded upward now.

Feeling something off, Madara cut his plans to punch Hashirama away to see the people of Konoha gaping, seemingly trying not to scream, and pointing upward. He turned upward and his Sharingan seemed to memorize the slow speed the beam fell at. When Madara tried to move his body, it refused moving too sluggish to respond to the danger due to the horrible haze.

"Madara, move!" Tobirama exclaimed once more pushing Madara away from danger. As soon as the slow motion came it went, the beam seeming to slam into Tobirama's midsection. His body beginning to ooze his life blood into the muggy air.

Madara stared, vaguely hearing wind chimes as the many passersby screamed. His own voice seemed to stuck in his voice.

'What? Bu-but he just came back! Are these lies?' Madara thought numbly staring at Tobirama's mangled body. The heat seemed to mock him.

"I bet you wish you were asleep, but it's not a dream" That inverted heat-haze Madara said as he smirked at Madara's trembling figure.

The voice barely pierced through. The blood was pouring so thickly, turning a deep red colour that Madara couldn't even call ugly. The red contrasted with Tobirama and made him seem pure, eternal. Soon the contrast began to blur until Madara tried to jerk himself back to reality. His dark thoughts faded, and the last thing Madara though was, 'Why is he smiling such a dark smile at the face of death?'.

'Make it stop!' Madara yelled internally, his body trembling. Tobirama, his crush, his… love, no matter what Madara does from Susanoo to pulling Tobirama away, he always ended up dead smiling that sick, dark smile. For the past ten years, Tobirama died protecting him from something he should have seen.

The illusion laughing as his sanity cracked and crumbled. Even Izuna could see the difference in his moods, but then again Izuna didn't deal with seeing his love die before his eyes with nobody remembering the next day.

All the days started and ended the same, with an overheated haze and the illusion laughing at Tobirama's death. It was a vicious cycle and the end was never clear.

Though the wounds were ripped raw with every death, Madara began to notice patterns. They had to meet at that park, Madara knew Tobirama was going there, and despite how much pain it brings him, Madara wants Tobirama to at least have a friend at his side when he dies. Another pattern was if they turn away from the road something else kills Tobirama, but what if someone else dies? Maybe this story can finally end.

With a steel resolve, Madara smiles at Tobirama before he reluctantly grabs a red-faced Tobirama to pull him away from the swings.

The screeching of tires reminds Madara of his fate, and he pushes Tobirama aside. The truck slamming into his own body instead.

Madara can see Tobirama staring wide-eyed at him, his blood covering everything even Tobirama's clothes.

Tobirama looked around, his breaths ragged. As he finally collapsed kneeling near Madara's cooling form, but refusing to inch closer.

'Is he sad at my death?' Madara thought his head getting fuzzy.

Despite the calm, Madara waited for the illusion to say something, but he didn't say his line, "What you see is exactly what you're gonna get".

'Maybe…' Madara thought, 'this summer day has finally gone away. But this is where it ends now.'

A white haired man sat on his futon staring at his calendar. August 14th and he awoke all alone. Hashirama had left early and Tobirama was supposed to meet Madara.

"Guess I failed again…" Tobirama muttered, crying softly as he thought of Madara. Only this time Madara had died. He cradled the cat, that same white cat that started this whole mess.


End file.
